During  Nano Nagle’s did her schooling, the penal law was in place in Ireland. This law in the eighteenth century limited Catholic worship and banned education of the Catholic children at schools, in their homes or abroad. Nano and her siblings were taught by tutors secretly and they were employed as servants. With the help of family members who were merchants in Cork. They also had strong connections in France. 

In 1730 Nano and her sister Anne travelled from her home town of county cork to France to expand their education. They were educated at the Benedictine monastery in Ypres, Belgium, after she entered a Parisian society. Her life carefree until 1745 with the death of her father. Returning to Ireland with her sister to live with their mother, Nano was ignorant of the poverty and degradation of her countrymen.

Nano’s vision for the world in 1769 as she wrote to a friend:  “For I can assure you, my schools are beginning to be of service to a great many parts of the world – this is a place of such trade – they heard of, and my views are not for one object alone. If I could be of service in saving souls in any part of the globe I would be willing to do all in my power.”

“If I could be of any service in saving souls in any part of the globe, I would willingly do in all my power,” -Nano Nagle

The Parable of the Lost Sheep

15 Now the tax collectors and sinners were all gathering around to hear Jesus.2 But the Pharisees and the teachers of the law muttered, “This man welcomes sinners and eats with them.”

3 Then Jesus told them this parable: 4 “Suppose one of you has a hundred sheep and loses one of them. Doesn’t he leave the ninety-nine in the open country and go after the lost sheep until he finds it? 5 And when he finds it, he joyfully puts it on his shoulders 6 and goes home. Then he calls his friends and neighbours together and says, ‘Rejoice with me; I have found my lost sheep.’ 7 I tell you that in the same way there will be more rejoicing in heaven over one sinner who repents than over ninety-nine righteous persons who do not need to repent.

Matthew 18:10-14 New International Version (NIV)

The Parable of the Wandering Sheep

10 “See that you do not despise one of these little ones. For I tell you that their angels in heaven always see the face of my Father in heaven. [11] [a]

12 “What do you think? If a man owns a hundred sheep, and one of them wanders away, will he not leave the ninety-nine on the hills and go to look for the one that wandered off? 13 And if he finds it, truly I tell you, he is happier about that one sheep than about the ninety-nine that did not wander off. 14 In the same way your Father in heaven is not willing that any of these little ones should perish.

 

The parable of “The Lost Sheep” is  found in the Gospel of Luke and Matthew. Parables are stories used to show of a moral or spiritual lesson,  told by Jesus in the gospels throughout the Bible. The parables in each of the gospel are told differently by Jesus to the people of the time.  

Nano Nagle’s actions were somewhat similar to those of Jesus at the time. Nano went out and had a vision to teach all who were ineligible for an education. These people are like the sheep and nano the Shepherd when she finds the lost sheep she and guided them on a path which may not have been open to them before.

World of the text- This piece of text is a narrative as someone is telling the story. The author is explaining the situation in a different way that would’ve been relevant of the time. The author might of written this text to show how you can connect two different things that can be explained as a whole.

World in front of the text- The parable in an everyday life today would be used to show that even if you go off track someone will always be there to put you back on track. This would’ve inspired Nano Nagle as she would have represented herself as the Shepherd and the struggling Irish at the time as sheep. The impact that this parable has made is finding and helping one person can make a difference and have an impact on many people

The Nano Nagle prayer

Lord God, you raise me up from age to age

To speak anew Your World to us

And show us your ways 

Such as Nano Nagle.

In days where courage is needed,

You give us this woman of strength

To walk before us with conviction.

In days of great change. You present us with a prophet

Whose faith is firm.

As the light of her lantern brought hope

Into the lives made wretched by poverty and oppression,

So may she inspire us to compassionate action

For those in need around us.

World of the text- This piece of text is a narrative as someone is telling the story. The author is explaining the situation in a different way that would’ve been relevant of the time. The author might of written this text to show how you can connect two different things that can be explained as a whole.

World in front of the text- The parable in an everyday life today would be used to show that even if you go off track someone will always be there to put you back on track. This would’ve inspired Nano Nagle as she would have represented herself as the Shepherd and the struggling Irish at the time as sheep. The impact that this parable has made is finding and helping one person can make a difference and have an impact on many people.